


The Divorce

by dancefantasy



Category: Mortal Kombat (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Arguing, Bad Parenting, Break Up, Canon Backstory, Canon Compliant, Divorce, F/M, Immaturity, Married Couple, Men Crying, good parent Johnny Cage, inspired by that one short scene in the comics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:07:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28803285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dancefantasy/pseuds/dancefantasy
Summary: Sonya has been an absent mother. Johnny wants a divorce.(Backstory for what happens between Mortal Kombat 9 and X)
Relationships: Sonya Blade/Johnny Cage
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16





	The Divorce

Sonya got home late that night, expecting to enter a quiet and peaceful home after a long day of working at the base. It was a surprise to see that the lights were still on as she stepped into the living room, seeing her husband sitting on an arm chair with his arms crossed and a deep frown etched onto his face.

"You're still awake? Did something happen?" Sonya asked, taking her jacket off her shoulders and hoping there wasn't any bad news.

"What do you _think_ happened?" Johnny asked her, his voice tense and strained.

Sonya almost rolled her eyes. He really could have been a more concise person sometimes to save her time, she thought. "I'm not a mind reader, Johnny."

Unable to restrain himself anymore, Johnny rose from his seat and pointed a finger at her sharply, shouting, "You did it again, Sonya! Have you ever been to a single one of Cassie's birthday parties?!"

Sonya's arms dropped as the realization hit her, the sound of her jacket zipper hitting the floor echoing in the painful silence left behind Johnny's cry. "...It was her birthday?"

His expression flashed with the anger of heartbreak. "Of course it was. You're her mother, for Christ's sake. You should know that better than anyone."

But Sonya hated to admit when she was wrong and yelled back, "What do you expect? I have to work, Johnny! The Special Forces doesn't even shut down for federal holidays. What makes you think I could just skip today?"

"You could have taken the day off, and you know it. You _chose_ to prioritize work over your daughter, for the hundredth time _._ You're breaking her heart, Sonya." Johnny's voice almost cracked behind the growl of his resentment. 

"It's just a birthday, not the end of the world. I'll go wish her happy birthday right now," Sonya answered nonchalantly, beginning to step past Johnny.

He held out a hand to stop her. "She's sleeping over at the Briggs' house tonight. You would know that if you were actually home for once." His hazel eyes narrowed in frustration. "And it's not 'just a birthday.' She turned thirteen today. That's supposed to be something special. You know she's never going to forget this, Sonya. Her friends always ask why you're never around, and she always has to explain that you're too busy to spend time with her. That's not healthy."

"Birthdays are something everyone forgets eventually! When she's grown up, she'll realize that I was making the best decision I could for this whole country."

"But you're not the only soldier, and she's not grown up. She's still just a kid. And you have to be there for her now, not just when she's adult and you can feel even less bad about being a lazy parent."

"Don't talk to me like that!" Sonya spat defensively.

"I'm just telling the truth!" Johnny argued. "When was the last time you actually spent time with her?"

"Don't ask me dumb questions!"

Johnny laughed incredulously. "This is dumb to you?" He shook his head in disgust. "For the past ten years, I've had to do this whole thing on my own. And I do it happily because I love Cassie. But she needs a mother. It's not fair that the only one she's got would rather spend all her time working than give her even an hour of quality time once in a while."

"I don't live just for you and her. I work to help protect everyone. Stop being so selfish."

"Why are you being like this?!" Every new sentence from her mouth felt like another knife in Johnny's back. He truly loved Sonya. He had never regretted having a child with her or getting married, but she wasn't perfect. And it was wearing down on him heavily. "Do you even care about us anymore?"

Sonya crossed her arms protectively. "You're making a huge deal over a birthday. There are actually important things I need to care about, _Jonathan_."

That response said a lot to Johnny. He sighed, feeling like he had no choice left anymore. "I still love you, you know. I still know you're a good person behind all this. But my daughter deserves better than this from us. From you."

"What are you saying?"

"I can't be with you if you're going to treat us like this. I want a divorce."

Sonya stepped back in shock, jaw dropping. Even if she couldn't openly admit she had made mistakes regarding her family, she had never wanted things to go this far. She hadn't expected those questionable choices would lead her to start losing her family. "You can't be serious. Don't be so dramatic."

"I am serious," Johnny said firmly. "You're not who you used to be. You're not who you _can_ be. And it's too much for me to wait through and keep hoping that you'll have a change of heart when you don't seem to be doing that anytime soon."

Sonya let her anger continue to get the best of her. She loved Johnny, but he could still infuriate her to no end at the worst of times. Her heart hardening, she raised her eyebrows challengingly. "Fine. We'll get a divorce. That means I'll never have to hear you complain about me again," she said snarkily. "I'll be sleeping in the barracks tonight." She began putting her jacket back on and turning to leave their home.

"I don't want this to be the end of everything," Johnny explained. "I want this to be the start of things getting better. So that when you're finally ready to be a proper mother to Cassie, I'll be ready to be called your husband again."

Sonya didn't respond, slamming the door behind her as she made a swift exit. Johnny felt his posture slump, intensely weary from such a stressful day. And then he began to cry. He never wanted to lose Sonya. But he felt that he had to put an end to their marriage to make Cassie's childhood better, if possible. He just wanted to be a good father.


End file.
